Superhero Samir stars in short film Check Mate

Ten year old Samir Samadov, who is from London (Westminster) and had a brain tumour, had just one wish – to star in his very own film. Today his wish was granted by Make-A-Wish Foundation® UK, the charity that grants magical wishes to children and young people fighting life-threatening conditions, and he made his red carpet appearance at Richmond Odeon for the premiere of his debut film, Check Mate.

Samir Samadov | Photo © Ray Morris-Hill

The following text is based on the official press release by the Make-A-Wish foundation, which was forwarded to us by Ray Morris-Hill. This name might ring a bell - he is the official photographer for the London Chess Classic, and this year he also made photos at the Tradewise Chess Festival in Gibraltar. Ray went to the première of Check Mate at the Odeon Richmond cinema today, and shared his photos with the chess media.

Samir, who is an award-winning chess player, was filmed at a number of London locations for the ten-minute action film, including the Thames, Imperial College and No.10 Downing Street. Samir wanted to be in a film to experience what it feels like to be a movie star! He came up with the concept of Check Mate (produced by Charlotte Knight Productions) and plays the part of the superhero in the film.

The Odeon Richmond on Wednesday

Storyline: Dr. Capablanca has devised a cunning plan to stop the Olympics by planting a virus in the central computer system. Using his chess skills Agent 27 (Samir) must stop Dr. Capablanca! Can he do it before it’s too late? Will Samir defeat Dr. Capablanca?

Samir was diagnosed with a brain tumour in June 2011. He underwent surgery successfully in July. Samir's future aim is to be a World Chess Champion and help other children with life-threatening illnesses.

Samir on the red carpet

After watching the premiere of his film Samir said:

The whole wish has been amazing! I was shocked when I arrived and saw the red carpet; the film was magnificent. Thank you to everyone who made this possible!

Samir’s Mum, Samira, said:

Being in a film was one of Samir’s biggest dreams and this dream came true for Samir, thanks to Make-A-Wish. Samir’s filming day was full of surprises and a day we will never forget.

Samir’s Dad, Elchin, said:

Make-A-Wish makes things which, for us, were impossible to do and words cannot explain how we feel. Visiting Downing Street, being in a high-speed boat…Samir was very, very happy. He said ‘Dad, is this real?’; it was amazing.

Samir with his family

The press release also mentions that there are currently 20,000 children and young people in the UK fighting a life-threatening condition and this year alone 1,400 children will turn to Make-A-Wish to have their wish granted. The charity needs to raise £6.8 million in 2012 to achieve this.

To make a donation to Make-A-Wish please visit www.make-a-wish.org.uk or telephone +44(0)1276 40 50 60.